Artificial hand.



B. BOWLER.

ARUFICIALHAND.

APPucmoN FILED Dems. lslnneufwsn ri. la. |919.

1,299,543. d Patented Apr. 8,1919.

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B'ATOLOMEW BOWLEB, 0F TORONTO, ON TARIO, CANADA.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

Application med December 1a, 1911,

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, BARTHoLoMEw BOWLER, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, Province ofzOntario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Hands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to substitutes for the human hand in which utility rather than appearance is considered and my object is to devise a hand by means of which various tools or utensils may be resiliently and therefore securely grasped, and which may be rotarily adjusted on an axis longitudinal of the arm and also rotarily adjusted on an axis at right angles to the aforesaid axis.

I attain my object by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in v which- Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved hand connected to an artificial arm member; v

Fig. 2 a similar view partly in section taken at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of the connections between the hand member and the arm member; and

Fig. 4 a section on the line ain Fig. 8.

In the drawings like numerals vof reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures,

1 is an artificial arm member of ordinary vconstruction adapted to be laced to a stump. Theend of the arm member is formed by a flat metal plate 2 to which the hand member is connected. The hand member is rovidedfor the purpose with a hollow oss 3 internally threaded. Into the boss is screwed av disk 4 through which is formed a keyhole slot 5, through which may be passed the key headedy pin 6 secured'to the artificial arm member and projecting from the center of the plate 2. The hand member may thus be easily engaged with or disengaged from the arm member and a rotary adjustment on an axis longitudinal of the arm also obtained.

To clamp the hand member in' any position to which it is rotated, it is merely necessary to rotate the disk 4, which, by engaging the head of the pin 6, jams the rim of the hollow boss against the plate 2. Preferably a fiber washer 7 is interposed between the parts to give a better frictional grip.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Serial o. 207,712. Renewed February 18, 1919. Serial N0. 277,818.

The disk is rotated by means of the pin 8, which is secured to the rim of the disk 4 and projects through a slot 9 formed in the wall of the hollow boss. The slot is provided with a series of enlargements l0 into any one of which fits the sleeve 11 slidable on the pin 8. The sleeve is normally pressed toward the slot by a coil spring 12, which engages the head of the pin and an internal shoulder on the sleeve. The sleeve will thus, by engaging the enlargements 10, hold the pln in any position to which it may be moved.

The boss 3 is provided with the jaws 13 between which is pivoted the shank 14 of the hook 15. The hook is thus adapted to swing on an axis at right angles to an axis longitudinal of the arm on which the boss 3 turns.

It will also be noted that the axis on which the shank is pivoted lies substantially in the same plane as the hook.

The pivot 16 of the shank passes through one jaw 13, and the shank, and is threaded into the other jaw. A headed pin 17 passes through an axial hole in the pivot and has a disk 18 secured to the end remote from the head. The disk has a projection 19 formed thereon which extends through a hole in the adjacent jaw and is adapted to enter any one of a series of holes 20 formed in the shank. The pin is normally yieldingly pressed to an engaging position by a coil spring 24 engaging shoulders formed on the pin and the pivot respectively. By

pushing on the pin, the pro'ection may be,

disengaged and after the s ank has een moved to bring another hole therein under the projection, the latter will automatically engage it. Preferably the pivot is tapered so 4that it may be adjusted for wear, a slot 25 being provided in its outer end for engagement with a suitable tool by means of which it may be turned.

The hook is double and the parts of each half remote from the shank are substantiall arc-shaped as shown, the center from which the arc is struck being located in the shank preferably near the outer end thereof. Between the halves of the hook is pivoted a clamp arm 21, which is referably formed of resilient material an is curved in the direction of its length as shown. Means are provided for adjustably connecting the clamparm and the arc-shaped parts of the hook. I preferably employ a dog 22 pivoted on the clamp arm and normally pressed by a spring 23 to engage the teeth of a rank, preferably a ratchet rack, formed on the outer end of the arc-shaped part of each half of the hook. The arm is thus easily swung to press a ainst the outer side of an object with whic the hook may be engag and as the arm is resilient a yclose ti ht grip is easily obtained on the object. Tie resiliency of the arm is thus of importance, as it is impossible to make any ordinary adjustment which would exactly fit the various sized objects which the hook may be required to grasp. With the ratchet rack the adjustment is very quickly obtained and any desired pressure may be brought against the object owing to the 'resiliency of the clamp arm.

Preferably the inner part of the hook is polygonal rather than circular in form so as to insure gripping a round object at a plurality of points on its periphery.

As the hand member is rotarily adjustable on the arm member and may also be swung to any desired position to one side of the other of the axis of the arm member, practically any necessary osition of the hook can be obtained, which adapts it for use in grasping a variety of tools and for erforming a great variety of operations.

VVlhat I claim as my invention 1s 1. In an artilieial hand, a shank; a hook formed thereon having the part thereof remote from the shank substantially arcshaped; a clamp arm pivoted on said hook substantially at the center from which the aforesaid arc is struck; and adjustable connecting means between the clamp arm and the arc-shaped art of said hook.

2. In an arti 'cial hand, a shank; a hook formed thereon having the part thereof remote from the shank substantially arcshaped; a curved, resilient clamp arm pivoted on said hook substantially at the center from which the aforesaid arc is struck; and adjustable connecting means between the clamp arm and the arc-shaped part of the said hook.

3. In an artificial hand, a shank; a hook formed thereon having the part thereof remote from the shank substantially arcshaped and having a rack formed thereon; a clamp arm pivoted on said hook substanlCopies of this patent may be obtained for tially at the center from which the aforesaid arc is struck; and a spring actuated dog carried by the clamp arm and adapted to engage the rack.

An artificial arm member provided at its end with a fiat plate and a key-headed pin projecting from the plate in combination with al hand member provi with a hollow interiorly threaded Aboss with a slot at one side extendin through its wall; a disk screwed into t e boss provided with a keyhole slot whereby the pin may be engaged with said disk; and a pin projecting thro h the aforesaid slot and connected with disk whereby the latter may be rotated to jam the edges of the boss against the plate aforesaid.

5. An artificial arm member provided at its end with a. flat plate and a key-headed pin projecting from the plate, in combination with a hand member provided with a hollow interiorly threaded boss with a slot at one side extending through its wall and provided with a series of enlargements along its length; a disk screwed into the boss provided with a key-hole slot whereby the pin may be engaged with said disk; a pin projectin through the aforesaid slot and connecte with the disk whereby the latter may b-e rotated to jam the edges of the boss against the plate aforesaid; and a spring actuated sleeve carried by the in adapted to engage the enlargements of said slot to hold the pin in any position to which it may be moved.

6. The combination of a hand provided with a boss for attachment to an artificial arm member; jaws formed on said boss; a hook member having a shank iitted between said jaws; a hollow pivot pin passin through one jaw, through the shank an threaded into the other jaw; a pin passing through said hollow pivot; a disk on the end of the pin provided with an inwardly directed projection, the adjacent jaw being provided with a hole throuh which the projection passes and the shan with a series of holes with any one of which the projection may engage.

this 5th day ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti. Washington, D. G. 

